​

​

​​Book Bling Blog

It's all fun and games … until someone falls in love. Oliver Goswick, Viscount Rathburn, needs money—and soon. With time ticking away and his inheritance held hostage until he's properly wed, Rathburn's slim options point to a single solution: a faux engagement. In need of the perfect bride, he knows of only one candidate: his best friend's wallflower sister. The plan seems flawless, except for one problem … He can't help falling in love with her. Poised, polished Emma Danvers knows nothing good can come of Rathburn's scheme. Spending the next two months engaged in a mock courtship is not what she'd imagined for her final season. Yet, charmed by his roguish ways and the inexplicable hammering he causes in her heart, she accepts his challenge. For Emma, keeping the secret seemed easy when it was just a game … But as Rathburn begins to see past her reserved exterior to the passionate woman within, the risk of losing her heart becomes all too real.

Emma Danvers doesn't like breaking the rules. After all, she needs to make a good marriage and her artsy parents won't help her chances any, or so she initially believes. But when her brother's best friend from Eton, Viscount Rathburn's father dies, she postpones her coming out to observe a year of mourning, because their families have grown close over the years.

Rathburn is his father's heir, but his grandmother refuses to release his inheritance until he is settled down, but only with a woman that she approves. She approves of Emma, so Emma agrees to help Rathburn out by pretending to become his betrothed. Rathburn has agreed to break the betrothal before the marriage if he receives his inheritance.

As the faux courtship continues the couple become the best of friends (unusual in an historical of this genre in which the couple is generally in continual conflict). As often happens, friendship grew to more, until each is secretely in love with the other, afraid to admit it for fear of being rejectred.

Overall this is a fast read, but the plot is driven with sexual tension rather than action, espionage or adventure. That's not to say there is nothing of interest here. It's a well written story, and though the plot threads are rather frail at times, the secondary characters are often funny, witty and entertaining. Rathburn's grandmother is delightful and marionettes the hero/heroine throughout.

The covers alone should have these books flying off the shelves. Gorgeous!

If you like romantic historicals, you will definately enjoy this!

Book Bling gives this Avon romance 4 stars!

Winning Miss Wakefield- Releasing June 10th, 2014She's got nothing left to lose … With her fiancé suddenly engaged to another and her reputation in tatters, Merribeth Wakefield needs a bold plan to reclaim her life. She must be brave. Confident. She must … kiss a rake? The suggestion is ludicrous! Yet when Merribeth finds herself alone with the dark and brooding Lord Knightswold, suddenly the plan doesn't seem so farfetched. So she does something she never thought she'd do—she kisses him.But he has everything to gain … The Marquess of Knightswold—Bane to most—has no use for the affections of women. Well, none lasting longer than a single night. A plot for revenge weighs heavy on his mind, leaving no room for romance. But then a shy, witty miss borrows a kiss from him in a darkened room, and everything he thought he knew about innocent debutantes vanishes along with her. When a twist of fate brings Merribeth within Bane's grasp, he'll have to resist her charms—or risk losing everything—for the sake of his heart.

I fell in love with fairy tales and the romance behind happily ever after at a very young age. Like a lot of you, I tweaked the fables bit by bit in my imagination until they suited me perfectly. By the time I was eleven, a teacher encouraged me to start writing. Throughout the years that followed, my teachers remained my most fervent supporters, giving me the tools I needed to continue my journey as a writer. My husband and I have two teenage boys, who are heroes in their own right. For now, we live in a small Midwestern town near Lake Michigan…until a time in the future when a new adventure calls us to other shores. I am currently working on my next novel, but I always enjoy hearing from my readers. Feel free to email me at vivienne@vivlorret.net